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Monthly Archives: October 2013

WYOMING, MI – West Michigan home builders say they need more workers as life returns to an industry that was on the ropes just five years ago.

But finding young people who are willing to put in a hard day’s work on a job site is no easy task, according to members of a “Next Generation Committee” formed by the Home Builders Association of Greater Grand Rapids.

High school counselors are pushing students into college and at the college level, kids are not signing up for programs designed to put them in the construction industry, according to committee members who gathered on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

“We have the programs, but nobody’s going through the training,” said Duane McIntyre, a construction instructor at Grand Rapids Community College, where only five students have enrolled in the school’s residential construction program.

Meanwhile, building trades programs in local high schools are “a thing of the past,” said McIntyre.

John Bitely, president of Sable Homes, said high school guidance counselors are pushing students into college programs to meet “No Kid Left Behind” goals while he’s trying to find carpenters and laborers to fill his construction crews.

“If we do have someone who has drive and ambition, they’re told not to get into our industry. Some of these kids need to see that there are good positions out there,” said Bitely, who said his lead carpenters are paid $35 an hour.

Bitely said the home building industry faltered in its recruitment programs in recent years because the jobs were not available. “We’ve been in survival mode,” he said.

Dave VanBaren, president of Great Lakes Superior Walls of Hamilton, said his company has problems finding young people willing to work. “Basically, we say if you show up every day, you can move up in the company,” he said.

Ryan Nettesheim, a youth services coordinator for Bethany Christian Services, said they preach the same “just show up every day” lesson in their “Youth Build” program.

Nettesheim’s seven-month program helps low-income students between 18 and 24 earn their Graduate Equivalency Degree (GED) and gain construction skills while working on Habitat for Humanity homebuilding projects.

McIntyre said many of the students he sees have not been taught the importance of showing up for work every day at home.

“There’s definitely a work ethic problem out there,” McIntyre said. “If you want to find a root cause, it comes down to family.”